Thread: Gravely 460

Yeah I am aware of the power rating differences between the kawis and kohlers. To be honest I really do not know which engine to get between the 850, 921, or efi 29.. I dont think id be able to demo all three of them either haha

I know it is nice to have more power but from what I read there is also a significant difference in fuel consumption between the three engines. I do mow some hilly terrain but nothing crazy. I also bag quite often.

Sorry to hijack the thread

I have the FX850 on my JF Z950 with 60" MOD and it is plenty of engine. I am getting around 1.5 gph in medium heavy grass. I know the drive systems are totally different from the Gravely's, but I thought I'd throw that out there for you to know anyway.

Congrats! IMO the 400 series is the most comfortable in the industry. One thing to keep in mind is Gravely's flat free tires are not solid and actually feel like tires with only about 7 psi in them. Others have switched to pneumatics and in the end went back to the flat free tires. Its hard to beat that 7 psi feel.Posted via Mobile Device

Hey GMLC, just curious if you have used the Ferris suspension mowers or owned in the past. Do you believe the Gravely is more comfortable than a Ferris ?

Hey GMLC, just curious if you have used the Ferris suspension mowers or owned in the past. Do you believe the Gravely is more comfortable than a Ferris ?

Cheers

I did demo a Ferris but didnt like how the deck moved with the suspension. The Gravely rides just as good and I would say even better because no vibration is felt by the operator due to the rubber isolated platforms. The combination of the air seat and rubber isolated platforms is the best IMO. Plus the Gravely deck does not move which could change the pitch and effect cut quality. I did not experience scalping with the ferris but I have read others have.Posted via Mobile Device

I did demo a Ferris but didnt like how the deck moved with the suspension. The Gravely rides just as good and I would say even better because no vibration is felt by the operator due to the rubber isolated platforms. The combination of the air seat and rubber isolated platforms is the best IMO. Plus the Gravely deck does not move which could change the pitch and effect cut quality. I did not experience scalping with the ferris but I have read others have.Posted via Mobile Device

Thats exactly what I had expected also.. I was at a fair last year when I saw a brand new ferris out. I wasnt able to drive it or anything but after sitting on it and standing on the platform and looking at how it worked, it seemed like with the deck moving with the suspension, it seemed like the cutting height and everything would change whenever the suspension moved.. I envisioned a lot of scalping. But then again who knows, I dont want to talk bad about a mower without actually trying it out myself. Other than that one issue, I really liked the looks of the mower, seemed to be built really well

Thanks for that! GMLC, it sounds as though this air seat is a very good thing! I know the difference between a standard non-suspended seat ZTR & a Ferris is quite dramatic, as you would expect with 4 wheel independent susp. So to say that a seat and some rubber isolators can do better than what 4 seperate shocks can do is a big thing! Im now trying to imagine a Ferris with Gravelys air seat . I must say though, vibration has never been something I have felt on a ZTR...

Im a little concerned at both you guys comments re scalping or uneven cutting! I think I will need to some how get a decent demo before purchasing a Ferris.

The guys that worry about the ferris scalping have nothing to worry about in my opinion. I ran one for two years with the last company I worked for and noticed no more scalping issues than you run into with any other ztr. The way they mounted the deck hangers to the suspension arms controls the movement of the deck. If you can imagine dropping down into a ditch with the front end, as the weight is shifted onto that front caster wheel the suspension compresses and in return raises the deck as you drop in. As you keep going of course the suspension rebounds and the deck drops to follow the contour. You are still responsible for floating the deck to mow certain uneven spots, but that is a requirement that any experienced z operator should have no problem doing. I've never used a gravely 400, but have heard great things about them. However, I have used deeres, walkers, hustlers, grasshoppers, and honestly the ferris is above all of them in ride quality.Posted via Mobile Device